Reza Barati: Two men arrested over death of asylum seeker at PNG detention centre

David Wroe, Sarah Whyte

Port Moresby police have flagged further possible arrests over the death of Iranian asylum-seeker Reza Barati on Manus Island as they announced they were charging two Papua New Guinean nationals for his February murder.

Six months after violent clashes at the island’s immigration detention centre left Mr Barati dead from horrific head wounds and at least 69 wounded, PNG police confirmed two former centre workers had been arrested and would be charged with murder.

Police spokesman Inspector David Terry identified the two men as Joshua Kaluvia, who worked with the Salvation Army, and Louie Efi, 28, who is understood to have been a security guard with contractor G4S.

Mr Kaluvia, aged in his late 20s, fled Manus Island months ago and was arrested on Monday in the town of Kimbe on New Britain Island. Mr Efi was arrested in July on Manus Island. But police did not announce this at the time because they did not want to alert Mr Kaluvia and other possible suspects, Mr Terry said.

‘‘Obviously more than one person was involved in this, so in the course of the investigations, hopefully they will come across some more suspects.’’

Mr Barati was killed during a riot that broke out over two nights in mid-February after weeks of simmering tensions between detainees and locally employed staff, including G4S guards and workers from the Salvation Army, which provided welfare services.

The tensions were brought to a head after detainees met with PNG and Australian immigration officials and were told they would their asylum claims would take a long time to process, meaning they would be stuck on the island indefinitely.

A government-commissioned report written by former senior public servant Robert Cornall found that Mr Barati had been killed after being hit from behind with a heavy stick, then being kicked by a mob of about 10 people and finally having a rock dropped on his head.

It blamed the violence on G4S guards, other staff, police officers from Papua New Guinea's feared mobile squads and Manus Island residents.

In March, Fairfax Media reported that a PNG local employed by the Salvation Army was widely accused of being a key assailant in the attack. But The Salvation Army continued to deny the allegations.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Salvation Army said: ‘‘This is a matter for local Papua New Guinean (PNG) authorities only to investigate and prosecute," he said. "The Salvation Army has still not been approached by any PNG authorities regarding this matter and remains ready, willing and able to be of assistance to their work if they feel it would be of benefit to their investigation."

A spokesman for G4S likewise said the firm had not been told by PNG police any arrests and therefore could not comment.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said he welcomed the arrests, saying the government had been working "very closely" with the PNG authorities.

"We have made sure we were doing everything at our end to assist them bring those [responsible] to justice and that justice process will have to follow and we have confidence in that."

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young renewed calls for for the detention centre on Manus Island to be closed. "The brutal attacks and the inexplicable delay in laying these charges show why the Manus camp is untenable," she said.